Improvement in apparatus for re jewelling watches



dinardgitana C. HOPKINS, OFPHIL'ADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA..

Letterslatent N 94,208, dated August 3l, 1869; ant'ealz'zted August v19, 1869.

IMROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR REJEWELLING WATCHES.

The Schedule referred to in these Iletters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom 'it Imay concer-n:

Be it known that I, G. HOPKINS, of the city of Philadelphia, in the county of- Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement on the Improved Iool for Ii'ejewelling Watches, invented by me, and for which Letters Patent were granted on the 9th day of June, 1868; and I do hereby declare that vthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective View of the tool, complete in'all its parts, and in the position inwhich it stands Figure 2 is an enlarged section ofthe same, together' witha section of a watch-bridge in the position of being operated upon.

Figure 3 is a hollow cone placed over an indented centring-piecqand-is attached thereto by means of screw-threads, cnt on the exterior' of' the one, and iinterior of the other piece.

Figures 4 to 15 are side and en'd views of vsevera-l forms of reaming and cutting-parts for the roaminginstrument.

Figure 16 isa spring-tbrk burnsher` Figure 17 is a bent formof needle for the reaminginstrument.

In order to a satisfactory performance of the watch, it is highly important in all cases of setting pivot-hole jewels in it, that the following particulars should be strictly attended to, namely:

First, the opening, or bezel, should he cirenlarin form, and accurately centred. i

Second, th'ebed,'or seat on which the jewel is to rest, should be atl the propel' depthy from the surface of the plate, level, and perfectly upright, lso that when fastened down in its place, the pivot-hole in the jewel will 'stand at exact right angles with the surface of the platek Ihe only tool heretofore used by watch-repairers, with which these several points could be secured with any degree oi' accuracy, under all circumstances, has

been what is known as the universal lathe, in some one or other of its modifications; a tool which, from its expense, is possessed byonly a few, while -to all others in the watch-repairing business, jewel-setting, particularly thatpart of it relating to the forming of new settings, aiidrepairing badly-damaged old settings, hasbeen quite beyond their ability to perform. To obviate these difiiculties, however, and to place within the reach of all, a simple apparatus, by use of which, even'the least experienced watch-repairer may `readily perform the work of jewel-setting in all its parts, neatly and accurately, I have invented the improvement on tools for this purpose, hereinafter describedf.

' In the drawings- At represents ametallic bed, of anyappropriate form, on'which the piece of watch to be jewelled i laid, and to which it is fastened by means ofthe leverclamp a, which I make somewhat of the form and operate in the manner shown in fig. 3, where the bent end ot' the clamp is represented as'pressing downward on the watch-bridge P, in proportion as the otherend is lifted, by means of the 'thumb-screw c, which, asshown, passes through the end. of the clamp, with its end resting on the top of the bed A..

J j isa combination adjustable centring-piecc, which I make and use in the following manner:

The piece J, I make of a piece of round steel, of

` low the smallest-sized hole that everrequires to be jewelled; after which I drill a small hole in the extreme end, of sufficient size and depth to form afemale cen-, tre, or receptacle, for the point of the centring-needie I.

This done, I form akiud of semi-cone, j, of the form designated, with a female screw eut in its interior about two-thirds or more of the length of the piece from the bottom upward, of suitable size to lit on the male screw of the piece J, and then, from the upper end ot' the screw, through the point of the cone, I make a smooth, round opening, that will pass snugly over the 'small cylindrical end of the piece .l.

This completed, I place the united pieces on a spiral spring within a bore of vsuitable size and depth, formed in the body and nearone end of the bed A, and then, by means of thetlulmb-sc-rewy, which passes from the side or end of the hed-piece into the bore re-` ferred to, I fasten the combination spring-centre, just described, at any depth or height required.

By this coutrivance I provide a means by which, through a simple adjustment of the cone 7' on the piece J, the operator isenabled to get instantly, the centre, and to preserve with accuracy, the appropriate depth' ofthe socket or bezel on which he is operating.

. C is a crane-sl'iaped upright-ing-piece attached to the bedA, through the bent upper end of which a circular opening vis formed, and so placed as to stand 'exactly perpendicular above the centring-piece. J,

And through this opening in the uprighting-piece C,`the handle B, of the rcaming-instrument is passed while iu use, the point of the centring-needle I the meanwhile, resting in the female centre in the piece J.

The' reaming au'd cuttinginstrument is composed substantially of the following parts, namely;

The handle B, the elongated shank, D, the centriug-needle I, the spring-arm Gr, the thumb-screw and' set-nut F f,and the reaming and cutting-points M, the last named being made of several dili'erent forms, to adapt them to the different parts of the work required to be performed with them, and the ceutring-needle I being iliade either straight, as represented in figs. l and 2, or bent in form, as shown in Iig. 17; the bent form of needle being specially adapted for use where the learning-instrument is required tol be operated in small settings, the bend in the needle allowing, as it does, the reaming or vcutting-part M, to fall in much closer or nearer the. centre than it can possibly do when a straight needle is used; also, by making the point blunt, and bending the'extreme end back or outward somewhat more than is represented in tig. 17, this forni of needle may be so adjusted, in connection with the smooth reaniiug-piece M, that the bent end of the needle will p ass in under the iiange of cylindrical in form, and with a hollow cavity in its lower end to receive and Ahold t-he upper end of the shank I), or the handle and shank may be made all in one piece.

r1`he shank I),I make of square or octagonal-shapcd steel or iron, which I hollow out or cut away on one side, as shown in the drawings; after which I drill a hole or bore longitudinally through its lower end, to form they receptacle for the ccntring-needle I, which I fasten in position by means of the set-se-rew/l.`

Ihe spring-arm G, I make of tlat steel, of appropriate width and thickness, which, when finished, I attach to the side of the shank D by means of the screw S and the steady-piu p, just back ot' it, the spring, as thus placed, being so set 'that'.it will draw in close against the shank at its lower end, when at rest,` but by means ofthe thumb-screw F, which is passed through the arm insuchv position that when turned inward, its point will press against the sha-nk near its lower end, the arm may be forced outward, as occasion requires, while the set-nut f serves to fix a distance beyond which the screwcannot force the arm when in use.

The reamiug and cutting-pieces M, I make-of best cuttiugsteel,`iu separate or detached pieces from the arm G, and when linished, I attach them to the end of the arm, as required, by means of twosmallscrews, or a single screw and a steady-pin, the pieces being made so as to be attachable to either the upper orthe under side of the arm, aspreferred.

Or, when so desired, thereaniiug-parts M may he formed on the ends of the spring-arms, Ainstead of in detached pieces, as was the case in my 'original invention. l

For lifting up the dange, or merely opening,the mouth of thesetting, I use a smooth, halilround piece, M, of one or otherl of the forms indicated vby rigs. 4 and 5, fig. G being an enlarged-end view alike'of both the other figures; and for cutting the inner. 0'roove to form the jewel-seat, I use one or otherof the form of cutters represented'by figs. 7 8, 9, l0, 11, 12, and for forming the ring orbevelled sink around the month of sacos the setting in the face of the plate, I use the form 'of cutter represented by figs. 1 3, 14,. aud- 15."

Or, by slight modifications iu these forms, especially in the angles of most of the rea-ming and cutting pieces M represented, they may, in some cases, be

rendered more e'ective or prompt in their action than when the forms* iu the drawingsare closely adhered to. y

The spring-fork burnisher, I make of a piece of steel, split into the form of a fork with two prongs, the ends of which-prongs I bend inward at equal an'- gles of about thirty degrees to forty-five degrees, as represented at o o, g. 16, and then round off the edges and carefully polish the acting parts.

Before tempering the prongs, however, I set them so they will stand apart considerably at their ends when left free, and I then pass a hollow slide over and around them, with which to force them together, or to set them at the required distance from each other. Or the prongs may be set so they will stand close together when left free, and then be forced-apart and set at the required distance from each other, by means -of a thumb-screw working in the same way as the screw F of the rea-ming-instrumeilt.

l -lhe burnisher, as thus described, I use in burnishing down the lips of the setting over the' edges .of thejewel it has been dropped into its place, the prongs of the burnisher, in this operation, being lirst set at the proper distance from each other, land then placed astrideof the jewel, with one ofthe bevelled ends pressing down on one side and the other on the opposite side ofthe setting. 'Ihen'by rotating the I bumisher-with the lingers while held in this position,

struincnt, andthe handle B, all the other parts and their combinations heilig embraced within my prese-ut improvement.

The mode ol" using this, my improved invention, is as follows:

I lirst `loosen, the set-screw y, so as to allow the centring-picces J j to be liftedby the spiral spring under them, above the top ofthe bed A.

I then adjust the two pieces so that the cone j, when set snugly into the countersink in the back of the plate, will bring the small indented end o f the piece .J within the hole tobe jewelled, to suoli depth that its'extreme end will stand level with the seat on which the jewel is to rest.

Haring thus adjusted these pieces, I place the back of the hole tb beoperated upon, over the end of the cone, and with the thumb or linger press it downward until the plateor bridge, as the ease may be, rests on the top of the bed A, at which point I fasten the back centre by tightening the set-screw y, and in which position I also lirm'ly clamp the piece to be jewelled, as shown at I), J A

I then a'djust the centring-needle. I, so 'that when its end or point rests on the bottom ofthe indentation or bore in the end of the piece J, the roaming oi cutting-pieceIVLwill stand at the exact depth required within the liole to be operated upon. f.

This done, I pass the handle'B through the opening for it in the top of the npr-ighting-pieee C, and

step the point of the needle I into the indentation in the end ofthe ceutiing-piece J, and then, taking'hold contact Withthe walls or edges of the bezel, and I then rotate the instrument with the fingers until the sett-in g is' fully opened'out, or the channel required in forining the jewel-seat is cut outtto the desired extent.

The mode offusingthe cutter for forming the bevelled sink around the mout-h of the setting,- and also for using lthe blunt form lof' bent needle hereinbebre referred to, is so nearly'similar to that just described, any one having occasion to use them will readily un derstand the proper way of doing so, always bearing in r'nind, however, that in forcing the cutting' and reaming-pieces outward, it should be done gradually,

and with some degree of care, as the Work progresses, otherwise breakage of the learning-point or damage to the setting may result.

Having thus prepared vthe setting to -receive the jewel, I drop lit into its place and fasten it there by means of 'the spring-fork burnisher, as previously clescribed. f

Having thus fully described the construction and. operation of my improved invention, so thaty any one skilled-in the work can successfully use the same,

What I claim as new, and desire 'to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The combination of the adjustable spring-centr'e and the centring-needle I, with the reamng and cutting-pieces M, all constructed, arranged, and operated together, substantially in the manner described.

2. The burnisher herein described, constructed with two prongs bevelled inward at their ends, substantially as specified. v Y

3. The improved rejewelliiig-apparatus herein described, ts constituent paits operating together as. set forth. v v

l C. HOPKINS.- lVitnesses:

G. W. WooLLEY, CHARLES KLOMANN. 

